NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (April 24, 2017) – Kyle Henderson of Sheridan, Arkansas, brought a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds even to the scale Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division tournament on the Arkansas River. For his win, Henderson took home $3,792.
“We launched out of Pool No. 6, but I locked to Pool No. 5 because it’s my home waters,” said Henderson, who earned his second career-win in BFL competition. “Unfortunately, there was a barge in the lock, so I wasn’t able to get to my main area until 8:30 a.m.
“The area I targeted was a backwater that had some clearer water in it,” continued Henderson. “The shad were spawning on a stretch of grass. I wasn’t sure if they’d still be spawning by the time I got in there but when I pulled up they were there, along with some bass. I was able to see them – even in the low-light cloudy conditions – with my Costa Sunrise Silver glasses.”
Henderson said he made three initial passes along a 100-yard stretch of grass. He said he used a different bait each time – a white custom spinnerbait, a shad-colored Z-Man ChatterBait and a Sexy Shad-colored Strike King 2.5 KVD HC Square Bill Silent Crankbait.
“I caught a couple of key fish on the ChatterBait, and a big one on the third pass with the square bill,” said Henderson. “I caught everything I weighed in within an hour.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Kyle Henderson, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 16-0, $3,792
2nd: Chris Dennis, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 15-14, $2,256
3rd: David Summers, Mount Ida, Ark., four bass, 15-1, $1,501
4th: Larry Gragg, Pine Bluff, Ark., five bass, 14-4, $778
4th: Fred Martin, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 14-4, $878
6th: Hoyt Akins, Scott, Ark., five bass, 13-11, $659
7th: Danny Gwinn, Mount Ida, Ark., five bass, 13-9, $599
8th: Quincy Houchin, Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 13-6, $539
9th: Cody Burke, Bryant, Ark., five bass, 12-14, $479
10th: Paul Browning, Morrilton, Ark., five bass, 12-5, $419
Dennis caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $460. Dusty Rhoades of Gravelly, Arkansas, weighed in five bass totaling 14 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,896.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Dusty Rhoades, Gravelly, Ark., five bass, 14-13, $1,896
2nd: Previn Dixon, Fort Smith, Ark., four bass, 11-10, $898
3rd: Cole Allen, Stamps, Ark., four bass, 11-1, $598
4th: Stephen Simms, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 10-9, $419
5th: Michael Lucas, Forrest City, Ark., five bass, 9-14, $359
6th: Mark Stevens, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 9-12, $329
7th: Jason Wedel, Lowell, Ark., five bass, 9-8, $299
8th: Jody Jones, Harvey, Ark., five bass, 9-4, $269
9th: Robert Widger, Cabot, Ark., four bass, 9-1, $239
10th: Nicholas Bergt, Atlanta, Texas, four bass, 8-12, $210
Jonathan Wolfe of Camden, Arkansas, caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $230.